Asteroid PHA 2022 RM4 will make its closest access to Earth either tomorrow or the morning after , bet on your time zone . As asteroid skirmish go it ’s not peculiarly cheeseparing , decease us at 2.3 million kilometers ( 1.43 million miles ) away , or six times the distance to the Moon . There are , however , aspect to this event that make it tolerate out besides its timing .
The first is that PHA 2022 RM4 ’s orbit crosses our own , so one daylight it could actually hit the Earth , thus the PHA ( Potentially Hazardous Asteroid ) designation . Moreover , it ’s turgid enough to do serious damage if it hit the Earth , although it ’s definitely no dinosaur Orcinus orca . At somewhere between 330 and 740 meters ( 1,080 - 2,430 feet ) in diam , this is not an object to be measured in the sizing ofAfrican wildlife . Once we get a more accurate estimate of its size everyone will be able to see if it ’s long than the tall building in their hometown . At the moment , only a handful of cities have buildings so high they can be confident of exceeding it .
Perhaps the most alarming affair about PHA 2022 RM4 , however , is in the middle part of its name . We only hear this object in September this year . All hop that we had discovered all the short - period asteroids with Earth - crossing celestial orbit larger than 300 meters ( 980 feet ) or so have now been crushed . Instead , we need to accept that the possibility of a large space rock unexpectedly going extrusion in the night on our major planet stay a distinct possibleness .
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PHA 2022 RM4 as imaged by the Virtual Telescope Project two days before its closest approach. Image Credit: Gianluca Masi, Ceccano (FR), Italy – MPC: 470 – The Virtual Telescope Project
Projects likeDARTto deflect object capable of unleashing immense tsunami or scorch the skies for months are all very well if we have great deal of warning , but small purpose with less than two month ’ observation .
With a 1,400 - day ( 3.8 - year ) orbit , PHA 2022 RM4 spends most of its time further from the Sun than Mars , but its closest approach is just inside the Earth ’s orbit . It ’s unusual in how far out of the planetary plane its reach lie down .
No near coming to Earth have been depend , so PAH 2022 RM4 is not a threat for the foreseeable future . However , with an orbit like this it ’s likely it will eventually become a problem that needs to be apportion with .
Gianluca Masi of theVirtual Telescope Projectsucceeded in trance the below image of PHA 2022 RM4 as a tiny dot two days before its airless approach shot . The telescope cover the asteroid as it moved across the sky , making the background stars seem as line . At the time , the object was almost exactly double its closest distance from Earth .
The Virtual Telescope Project will be back in military action go after the asteroid during its closest approach on November 1 , starting at17:00 UTC .
Under dark sky , skilled observer may be able to pick it up for themselves using average - sized backyard telescopes , although it will be too far to the south for many Europeans and North Americans .
